By Gordana Basovic

Upon the Berlin Wall fall and break up of the Soviet Union, the whole Europe accepted the rule of law as a central value. The European family of nations strives, accepts and improves the implementation of values, such as respecting of human rights, law, order, property protection, environment preservation, animals protection, cherishing tolerance... Although these values have long ago undoubtedly been accepted in most European Union (EU) member countries, a part of the Serbian average population still has dilemma whether to join the EU or not. In addition, great number of both Serbia and the West Balkans region citizens has no explicit attitude towards European values not knowing exactly, at the same time, what the values are.

Whenever the question on joining the EU is mentioned mostly all the attention is focused on whether the life would be better or not and not towards own steps towards possible improvement, both personal and the one concerning the State. Even the better life is the target of research in both West Balkans and the EU; the Union citizens think more of cultural and social values and their community.

The latest research in Serbia carried at the end of October by the TNS MEDIUM GALLUP included 1,020 adults in Serbia. It showed basic understandings of the European road and attitudes towards Europe.

Srbobran Brankovic, the TNS MEDIUM GALLUP Director, says that asked whether Serbia should cooperate as close as possible with Western countries in economic cooperation, even 844 examinees (82.7 percent) answered positively, and 107 (10.5 percent) was against the cooperation, while 69 (6.7) did not know the answer or was left without it.

According to him, asked whether Serbia should carry out political integration, i.e., should it work on joining the EU, positive answer gave 67.8 percent of examinees, 20.4 percent was against, while 11.8 percent did not give an answer or did not know what to answer.

According to this survey, the number of supporters and opponents of Serbia`s taking part in the Partnership for Peace programme is almost equal (41.9 percent of examinees is for the development of this cooperation and 41.1 percent is against), while 17 percent of examinees did not know or did give an answer. However, for joining the NATO there were 246 (24.1 percent) of the people included in the survey, while 587 (57.6 percent) of them were against, and 187 (18.3 percent) did not give any answer.

Although publicly often has been mentioned the two-thirds majority support for the Serbia`s European road, whenever examinees are offered enthusiastic, real-political, sceptical, and phobic attitude towards Europe, the European Union and European integration of Serbia, public opinion survey gives this problem new view.

"I cannot say Europe is particularly close to me but I think joining the EU is necessity and therefore we have to work on this," - this is the view of 338 (33.1 percent) examinees. Researchers have qualified this attitude as the Eurorealism but not in the sense of the realistic statement. It has been described as the fact that prevailing here is the standpoint of real-politic that implies some option, even if we do not absolutely comply with it, should be accepted in case it generally is good for the country we are representing.

The standpoint indicated as the Euroskepticism has been supported by 327 examinees (32 percent) and it could be described with the following sentence: "I am skeptical towards Europe and the West in general and I think possible joining their structures should be done with care and without haste."

Open Euroenthusiasm, opting for the attitude that "Europe is very close to them and they think everything should be done in order to join it, which implies fulfilling all the conditions it states," has been voiced by only 164 examinees (16 percent).

On the other hand, for the attitude named by the researchers as the Europhobia has decided 123 examinees (12 percent), saying the closest description of their attitude would be the following: "Integration with Europe would mean domination of European and other powerful people over our nation; Serbia does not belong to that kind of the world and therefore we should cherish our traditional values and let go chasing Europe." Out of the whole number of examinees, 6.8 percent have not opted for any offered opinion.

However, asked about what described the EU the best, the examinees` answers have confirmed the Serbian citizens regard the EU as a kind of a "promised land" and not the system of values applying to political and everyday life. Even 49.1 percent of examines agreed that high standard of living is the best description of the EU and only 7.9 percent of them recognised the publicly open authority at all levels as an important characteristic of the Union.

The freedom in reorganisation and active participation of citizens are the best description of the Union for 8.5 percent of examinees; 33.5 percent, on the other hand, think the best specifiers are well organised union, the existence of order and laws respect; 20 percent as the best European characteristic regard high level of the human and minorities rights protection. Preservation of environment, clean cities and villages, as well as healthy life - all these make the description of the Union that is absolutely supported by 20.2 percent of examinees.

While the Serbian public opinion researchers maintain as actual questions regarding the impact of the European integrations on the position of native language, national identity, relations with neighbouring countries and Russia, as well as the human and minorities rights protection, their colleagues in the EU are focused on the values such as gender equality, ecological consciousness and tolerance.

According to the Eurostat research, 89 percent of the whole EU citizens consider the duty of each person is to take care of the nature and all human programmes on its utilisation to be limited, while 51 percent of them maintain exploitation of the natural resources is irreplaceable for the sake of human prosperity, and at the same time, good care about nature has to be taken. Talking about rights and animals protection, 91 percent of examinees consider this obligatory.

The right to university education for both men and women represents the European standard. Still, 17 percent of examinees agree men should have advantage in university education, while 81 percent of them do not agree. An attitude towards the gender equality in politics in the EU shows that 27 percent examinees consider men are better politicians than women are, while 68 percent do not agree with this attitude.

While in the Western Balkans countries acquiring money is concern at the top of the priority list, in the EU countries very important is bringing up of children. Therefore, within the Eurostat research, the examinees were offered the list of values that should be handed over to children. The values that should be nourished and developed in future generations, most positive answers were given to tolerance and respecting people (82 percent), sense of responsibility (80 percent), resoluteness (56 percent), independency (53 percent), and respect for work (47 percent).